See full version: 2 Weeks for Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, and Greece THIS SUMMER! Please help
I think you may mean the Kamenari-Lepetane ferry which is theoretically a short cut to Kotor but you miss a lot by not driving around the bay to the north. Perast, Ostrvo, and Sveti Juraj for Instance. I enjoyed that more than Kotor as Kotor never lived up to what I saw in Dubrovnik. I loved Budva, Novi Star and to a lesser degree Ulcinj. The mountains to the north were pretty spectacular. Our 3rd trip will be to return to Budva and the mountains. more
I haven't been to Greece recently enough to comment beyond pointing out that the country is much more than Athens.
Are you sure there's a ferry from Dubrovnik to Budva? This 2017 TripAdvisor thread suggests that there is not. There is bus service between Dubrovnik and Kotor as well as between Kotor and Budva. Whether there's a single bus running that entire route, I don't know. You can explore bus schedules on the BusCroatia website, but definitely verify the information when you get to Dubrovnik, and understand that the Dubrovnik bus station personnel may not be fully informed about what buses do once they cross the Montenegrin border. In all cases, pay attention to the day of the week. Especially on Sundays and holidays, things may go sideways. [links]
Getting from Montenegro to Greece, is the simplest way to fly from say Podgorica into Athens? These flights are not cheap! Any other suggestions? I'm open to going anywhere in Greece (but we will only have two nights) but my return flight has to be out of Athens. more
Podgorica is the capital of Montenegro and by far the least interesting place I saw when I traveled through the country in 2015. It is not a place I would go on a short trip unless I had to for reasons of transportation.
Wow thank you so much for the responses! This trip came up really quickly, we're actually leaving in three weeks for a mid-August to mid-September trip (so we're mentally prepared for LOTS of fellow tourists). This is also why I'm not ready to ditch Greece since I really like the idea of mixing in big cities with quieter island trips (I've heard Peloponnese in general is on the less touristy side compared to Mikonos etc.) more
My boyfriend and I are already committed to meeting up with friends in Dubrovnik, Croatia and the way our schedules worked out it has to come first in our Croatia, Italy and Greece trip. We have 4 weeks total and are most interested in seeing Venice, Florence, Rome, Amalfi, maybe Naples in Italy and Peloponnese, an island trip (Hydra? Tinos? Lefkada?! Not sure yet) and Athens. These are the places we're interested in visiting but we're not tied to anything yet. We want to see a lot but we also want a relaxing vacation and want to take in the vibes of each place rather than stress about seeing everything.
There are plenty of islands to choose from in Croatia - you don't need to go to Greece for this. To use your own words, squeezing Greece into your itinerary is nuts! The only place in Greece you can fly to from Croatia is Athens and this is a hideous airport in summer. [links]
I recommend that you fly between the countries, no matter which order. From Dubrovnik, you can get good flight prices to either Rome or Athens but will probably have fewer choices to Venice; try www.skyscanner.com. There are also overnight ferries (not all everyday) to and from Italy, but no practical ferry, train, or bus from Croatia to Greece. more
Very early in the morning, we will meet you at your Athens hotel take you to Piraeus ferry port. Depart from Athens on a ferry ride to Mykonos Island.
Transfer to your hotel, enjoy the rest of the day exploring Athens, more
Upon arrival, you will be met at the harbor and transferred to your hotel.
Enjoy a full-day tour of Venice.
* Ferry tickets from Mykonos to Santorini
Drive to panorama sight (slopes of Srdj mountain), get amazing views, lots of photo opportunities, then return to old city and enjoy an introductory walking tour from your guide, Visit the The Assumption Cathedral, then transfer back to your hotel or you can continue to enjoy rest day of the exploring Dubrovnik at your own pace. more